Q & A: Reporting in a 'culture of fear'

Freelance journalist Frank Chikowore visited CPJ this week
after receiving the Tully Center Free Speech Award
at SyracuseUniversity. Chikowore received the award
for his brave, ongoing reporting on the crisis in Zimbabwe. He has worked for two
newspapers in Zimbabwe,
including The Nation and the Weekly Times, which was closed down in
2005.

CPJ: Like many
journalists in Zimbabwe,
you were targeted by the state for your reporting during the election period
last year.

Frank Chikowore: Yes,
in early April I was arrested as I was covering the strike, organized by the
opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change to demand the release of
presidential and parliamentary election results. The election was held on March
29 and opposition and other civic groups were incensed by the fact that the electoral
commission took so long to announce those results. So the opposition called for
a strike to force the authorities to release the election results. For covering
that strike I was arrested by police.

CPJ: What charges
did they use to arrest you?

FC: The manner in
which my charges kept on changing shows the illegality of the arrest. First I
was arrested for lacking accreditation, but I was duly accredited as a
journalist and these charges could not stand. After spending seven days under
police custody I was facing charges of 78 counts of "attempted murder" (this is
after the police changed the charges three times already). However, the charges
changed again to everyone's surprise when I appeared in the dock to say that I
was facing "public violence charges"

CPJ: Many sources
told us that you entered the courtroom with your mouth tied in a gag. Why?

FC: I did tie my
mouth during the court process. I am convinced that press freedom isunder siege in Zimbabwe. Basically, I was being
denied the right to express myself and I thought this was a good way of
protesting. The state had found it fit to deny me my rights, which are
enshrined in the national constitution. What they were doing actually
strengthened my resolve. I was trying to send a statement, because if you
continue to keep quiet you suffer silently. I thought the best way to speak was
by not speaking.

CPJ: Many
Zimbabwean journalists have told CPJ that the election period was the worst
time for journalists in Zimbabwe's
history. Would you agree with that assessment?

FC: One has to
understand the conditions the media was operating under before March 29 when
the presidential and general elections were held. There was no violence prior
to the first round of the elections. But when President Mugabe realized he
would lose the election, he started to use violence as a tactic to ensure his
critics were forced to vote for him during the runoff election period. The
media was also a scapegoat. The ruling party intensified the use of violence
against opposition members, civic rights groups and those who promote free
expression. It was a sad time for journalists in Zimbabwe.

CPJ: What is the
situation for journalists like now?

FC: I think the
situation is getting worse for journalism in Zimbabwe. Zimbabweans are suffering
silently because the foreign media is not allowed inside the country. There is
no one able to expose what is going on. The overall situation has gotten worse
in terms of the economy, politics. etc. A journalist, Anderson [Shadreck] Manyere,
is
in prison. The government continues to trump up charges against civic
rights activist as well as journalists. Now journalists do not know who is
next. It creates a culture of fear among journalists. Now Anderson is facing all kinds of
charges--banditry, insurgency.

Since the closure of the country's four major newspapers, we
have seen an increase in the number of freelance journalists as well as
qualified journalists coming from universities and colleges. The problem is,
these journalists have nowhere to work. They are forced to roam the streets
with nowhere to submit their stories to. The government is determined to crush
any media organization that is deemed too critical of the government. Until
this is rectified, press freedom will continue to be under siege.

CPJ: Has the
quality of reporting in Zimbabwe
deteriorated?

FC: Journalists
now use pseudonyms to protect their identity. If you dare to use your real name
you risk losing your license. Now everyone is very careful in what they write
and what they say. There are still a few critical reports in the few private newspapers
but it is not enough. They do not criticize fully, fearing closure.

I must say the issue of journalists using pseudonyms has
also created problems. There are no checks and balances on the stories written.
The persecution of journalists must stop so that they can do their work without
any hindrance. For as long as the state continues to muzzle the press, we will
continue to see these half-baked stories. Now we also have a situation where
news goes online without verification of facts since people are afraid to
contact sources. The culture of poor journalism is being created by the state.

CPJ: What
information sources do Zimbabwean citizens have access to?

FC: With the
continuing economic meltdown it is becoming harder and harder to access
information, particularly outside of Harare.
It is now expensive to buy a newspaper. The state newspapers are charging in
foreign currency when the majority of the country's work force is paid in Zimbabwean
dollars. Instead of buying a newspaper people will buy a loaf of bread. As long
as we don't address the economic crisis the information gap will continue to
widen. No one can afford a radio receiver.

We now have what are called "pirate" radio stations" such as
Studio 7 in the United States and Short Wave Radio based in London and Voice of
the People in Cape Town, South Africa. All are based outside of Zimbabwe--as if
we do not have enough land within the country. The only way the government can
deal with pirate radio stations is by opening the airwaves. License private and
community radio stations and then you get people within the country reporting
what is happening on the ground. Other than having exiled Zimbabwean
journalists who reside far away and cannot know the full story, it would be better
if the government opened up the airwaves.

CPJ: What advice
do you have for journalists who want to report in Zimbabwe?

FC: The very
first step is to let other journalists know where we are going. The notion of
scoops is no longer there in Zimbabwe.
Now we must work as a team. When we go in groups it provides a little
protection in the sense that at least someone will know what has transpired.
For local journalists, I think it's important to say that, in a nutshell, no
story is worth dying for. If you have some security concerns, you might as well
decide not to cover that story. And for foreign journalists trying to come into
Zimbabwe,
the safest way to do things is to approach the authorities to get permission
otherwise you'll lend yourself into trouble.